LSU Coach Les Miles said SEC champion should play for BCS title

Baton Rouge - LSU Coach Les Miles on Monday said that the SEC football champion should play for the BCS title.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Miles said the league's strength of schedule makes the winner of the league at least one of the top two teams in America.

"Everybody within this league
plays a very difficult schedule," Miles said. "I think the champion of this league should
very well have the opportunity to play in that national championship game until
somebody proves that the winner of this league is not the nation's best team."

LSU Coach Les Miles said Monday the SEC champ should be able to play for the BCS title.Associated Press

Miles also pondered how the
postseason might be sorted out by a four-team playoff, which will be adopted by
the Football Bowl Subdivision starting with the 2014 season.

"On the cusp of the rule change, it'll be very interesting
to see if some of the best teams are left on the sideline," Miles said. "Nationally,
in this conference there are a number of very skillful teams that receive a
strong national ranking and we play all of them.

"I think the team that stands on the podium with the SEC
championship trophy should get great consideration to play in (the
national championship game)," Miles said. "Period."

LSU, ranked No. 7 in the BCS standings, still has a slim chance of being that team and defending its 2011 championship in Atlanta Dec. 1, but it would take an upset of Biblical proportions. Auburn would have to beat Alabama as a 35-point underdog on Nov. 24. If LSU and Texas A&M then win out, it would force a three-way tie for the West Division crown.

Alabama would be eliminated from the threesome because it would have a 4-2 intra-division record compared to 5-1 for LSU and Texas A&M, and the Tigers would go to the SEC Championship Game by virtue of winning the head-to-head matchup with the Aggies.

Miles said LSU will press on assuming they'll be granted the
chance, but that won't be the Tigers' only motivating factor in the coming
weeks. Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, LSU could
end up playing in any number of bowl games.

"I think the opportunity to play a dominant style of
football is certainly a reward in itself," Miles said. "But then the
understanding that that makes you much more attractive to some of these major
bowls, I think we understand that."

Seniors to be honored

Miles also spoke to the
accomplishments of theTigers' 14-member senior class, which will be honored
on Senior Day Saturday against Ole Miss.

"(The seniors) are a group of men that have accomplished a
lot in their time," Miles said. "They were the first 13-0 regular season in
school history. They were the first 8-0 conference champions. The (fourth-year
seniors) played every game ranked in the top 25 and the fifth-year seniors all
but two games in the top 25."

LSU's senior class has so far won 41 games and depending on
how the rest of the season pans out could win as many as 45 games before their
collegiate careers come to an end.

Freshmen offensive
lineman holding their own

With a bounty of injuries along the offensive front, a pair
of freshmen stepped into starter's roles mid-season and have so far impressed their
coach.

True freshman Vadal Alexander has logged six starts at right
tackle after senior Alex Hurst went down with injury and redshirt freshman Trai
Turner took over at right guard four games ago after junior Josh Williford
suffered what has turned into a long-term injury.

"I don't know that I have run into as tremendously talented
freshmen that had the mental capacity to step on the field and play
aggressively," Miles said. "I felt like I've had guys that are very capable but
it takes a bit of maturing, if you will, to allow them to say, 'Not only am I
going to play well but I'm going to play a dominant brand of offensive line.'"

Miles said both Alexander and Turner took their respective
opportunities to make an impact and haven't looked back.

"They're very physical at the point of attack, they
recognize their assignments and they continue to improve," Miles said. "It's
unusual to have a true freshman step in in the offensive line and play as well
as both of those guys are."

Russell Shepard's
impact not limited to number of touches

LSU senior Russell Shepard rushed a career-high eight times
for 33 yards against Mississippi State, but Miles said the senior's influence
on his team is deeper than the number of touches he receives in
a game.

Miles cited a play Shepard made on special teams against
Mississippi State where Shepard made an open-field tackle on a kick-off return
that may have saved a touchdown at a crucial point in the game.

"If he wasn't a very, very capable athlete, that could have
been a very big play in Saturday's game," Miles said. "Russell Shepard has
talent and has ability and we're working to get him on track. Every Saturday we
play, he contributes in every way he can and does so with leadership in mind."